Garden shed photographer to share wonders of the universe with future exhibition

A Londoner who taught himself how to take pictures of planets and star clusters as a teenager now hopes to show people “the wonders of the universe” with an exhibition.

Jaspal Chadha has two cameras and two telescopes in his garden shed in Romford which has a retractable roof that reveals the sky on clear nights. Mr Chadha, 32, started astrophotography after buying a telescope for £30. He wanted to show his mother — who was ill and unable to leave the house — what he could see, so he began to take photographs too.

“I started off with a cheap telescope in my back garden in Stratford,” he said. “The pictures were no good, but it sparked a passion that I returned to throughout my life. Through trial and error I have managed to better myself. Every day I am learning new techniques.”

Mr Chadha said his motive had always been to show others “what you can see from your yard”, adding: “I think a lot of people assume you have to go to Mexico, or somewhere far away and remote, to get a clear view of these kinds of clusters but I prove you don’t.

“I do modify my images to get rid of some of the light pollution — so they are accurate but not scientific. So I’m not taking Nasa pictures, and they aren’t art but something in between.”

He is now developing his best shots and thinking about venue spaces for an exhibition after building up a following online and having pictures printed in publications such as Sky At Night magazine.